Alright, so I finally decided to talk about my whole adventure with these t lcm pedals. It’s been a bit of a journey, let me tell ya.
It all started a few months back. My old set of pedals, the ones that came with my wheel, they were just… well, they were getting tired. You know how it is. The brake felt like stepping on a wet sponge, and the throttle was kinda jittery. I was losing races, man, and I kept blaming the gear. Maybe it was me, maybe it was the pedals, but I needed a change.
Getting Them and the First Look
So, I did my research, watched a ton of videos, read forums until my eyes crossed. The t lcm pedals kept popping up. People seemed to mostly like ’em, especially for the price. So, I pulled the trigger. Waited for that delivery like a kid waiting for Christmas. The box arrived, and man, it was heavier than I expected. That’s a good sign, right? Means there’s some solid metal in there, not just plastic junk.
Unboxing was pretty straightforward. Got everything out, the pedals themselves, a bunch of springs – more on those later – and the usual cables and papers nobody reads. First impression? They looked pretty beefy. The pedal plates are metal, the arms seemed sturdy. Definitely a step up from my old set.
The “Fun” Part: Setup and Installation
Okay, now for the “fun” part. Getting them mounted to my rig. My rig isn’t anything fancy, just a basic frame I put together. I thought it’d be a simple bolt-on job. Well, not quite. The bolt pattern was a bit different. Had to fiddle around, find the right screws, and get everything lined up. Took me a good hour, maybe more, with a bit of grunting and some choice words. My knuckles were not happy.
Then came the software side. Plugged them in, Windows recognized them, cool. Downloaded the Thrustmaster software. Installed it. Fired it up. And… nothing. It couldn’t see the pedals. Classic. Restarted the PC. Still nothing. Unplugged, replugged. Fiddled with USB ports. I was about ready to throw them out the window. Eventually, I think I had to uninstall, reinstall, and then sacrifice a rubber chicken, but they finally showed up in the control panel. Technology, eh?
Feeling the Load Cell Magic (and some tweaking)
The main reason I got these was for the load cell brake. Everyone raves about load cells. So, I was eager to try it.
And yeah, it’s different. Very different.
Instead of measuring how far you press the pedal, it measures how hard you press it. It’s supposed to be more like a real car.
Out of the box, the brake was STIFF. Like, super stiff. I was using the pre-installed medium springs, I think. My leg was getting a workout just trying to get to full brake. So, then I delved into the world of spring swapping.
They give you a bunch of different springs:
- Soft ones
- Medium ones (which were already in)
- Hard ones
- And some pre-load washers
It’s like a little Lego set for your feet. I must have spent a whole evening swapping springs, trying different combinations. It’s a bit messy, with a bit of grease involved, but not too complicated once you do it a couple of times. I eventually settled on a softer spring combination than I thought I would. My ankle thanked me for it.
Calibration was next. The software lets you set the dead zones and the maximum braking force. This took more trial and error. You press the pedal as hard as you comfortably can, set that as 100%, and then you’re good. Or so I thought. First few laps in my favorite sim, I was locking up all over the place. Or not braking enough. It really takes time to re-learn your muscle memory. I’d been using that old squishy pedal for years!
Living With Them
So, after all that initial faffing about, how are they? Pretty good, actually. The brake, once I got it dialed in with the springs and software, is a huge improvement. I feel like I have much more control over trail braking. It’s more consistent. The throttle and clutch are decent too. They use HALL sensors, which is nice, means they should last longer and be more precise than potentiometers. I did swap the throttle spring for a slightly stiffer one I had lying around from an old project, just for personal preference. The stock one felt a tad too light for me after getting used to the firm brake.
Are they perfect? Nah. Nothing ever is, especially in this sim racing hobby where you can always find something shinier and more expensive. The baseplate is plastic, though it feels sturdy enough. And the setup can be a bit of a pain, especially if you’re not expecting it. I also had this weird phase where my PC wouldn’t sleep properly after installing the drivers, took me ages to figure out it was some USB power setting related to them. Fixed now, but man, that was annoying. Wasted a good two evenings trying to diagnose why my PC fans were whirring all night.
But overall, for what I paid, I’m pretty happy. They’ve definitely made me a bit more consistent in my driving. Or at least, I feel more consistent, which is half the battle, right? They’re still on my rig, and I use them every time I race. So, yeah, that’s my t lcm pedals story. A bit of a hassle to get going, but worth it in the end. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I hear the track calling my name.
